The Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil has teamed up with London-based pop band Ooberfuse to release We Are One, a song that highlights the plight of persecuted Christians in Iraq.

A video for the song, was filmed at refugee camps including the UN Bakhira Camp and Mar Elia camp, in Erbil, when band members Hal St John and Cherrie Anderson visited the Iraqi region where thousands of persecuted Christians have fled in the wake of ISIS advances.

The song features Archbishop Warda reciting the Lords Prayer in Aramaic.
“For me, (ISIS) is a cancer, sometimes you take some hard measures, unfortunate measures, to deal with and treat this cancer,” he said, adding that he hopes to reach out to younger generations with the song.

After the trip to Iraq, Mr St John said: “I think this is the first time in history a leading Middle Eastern religious leader has embraced the forms of popular culture to advance the Christian message of love and hope.”

In February Ooberfuse met Archbishop Warda during his trip to London. “You must come to Erbil and see for yourselves the ancient roots of our Christian heritage. We have one of the oldest forms of Christian worship still practiced today that has remained unchanged since the first century,” he told them.